


Smiling Faces

by Balthuza



Category: Shards of the Sun
Genre: Gen, Nil's a bad influence :o, poor Fyr just wants to help, they do get drunk a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 08:52:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9377480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Balthuza/pseuds/Balthuza
Summary: “So, what exactly were you going to do with that?”“Um. Rob you?” Nil snorts again. The child looks halfway between terrified and offended. “You wouldn’t be the first, you know!”





	

Fyr regrets many things, although right now can’t recall most of them.   
Underneath his cheek the ground is wet and incredibly cold, but soft enough to be vaguely comfortable. There’s water in one of his shoes, by now feeling warmer than the ground.

Fyr regrets many things.

There’s something laying across his back, not particularly heavy, but pressing him deeper into the mud.  
With somehow distant interest Fyr wonders if he’s going to drown. Right now he can’t really tell whether it’d be a problem or and improvement.

There’s something In the corner of his eye, a flash of light, a movement. He tries to get up, but the insistent weight on his back presses him back into the mud.  
The figure slips and almost falls over.  
The weight on Fyr’s back snorts and moves, sinking an elbow right by his shoulder blade.   
“So...” it takes Fyr a second to recognize Nil’s drawl. “You come here often?” Fyr groans.

“I just don’t want anybody to get hurt” says the figure, sounding far younger that Fyr expects.  
“Well, that’s always a good start.” Nil chuckles. Fyr tries to get up again, this time managing to dislocate Nil, effectively throwing him in the mud. Ignoring the wide choice of curses flowing freely where Nil’s now sitting in the mud.

The water is Fyr’s shoe make a surprisingly loud noise, and the child snorts.

“So, what exactly were you going to do with that?” Nil gets up from the ground and pointlessly tries to clean his pants. The child, wearing an oversized cloak that’s seen better days, seems surprised by his bluntness.

“Um. Rob you?” Nil snorts again. The child looks halfway between terrified and offended. “You wouldn’t be the first, you know!”  
“Sure.” Nil answers easily.  
“What’s your name?” Interrupts Fyr, with a slight feeling of deja vu.   
“Wildie?” uncertainty replies the child.   
“You not sure?” mocks gently Nil. “You’re halfie to, aren’t you?”

The child freezes, takes one more look at their clothes, and bolts.

Fyr instinctively gives chase.  
Nil swears, and follows.

Slipping on the mud, Fyr manages to trip on something, ending up with his face in the mud again, the child immediately disappearing in the narrow streets of the slums. It takes Nil a moment to catch up, finding Fyr now practically covered in mud.

“What was that about?” he asks, sounding winded up and bewildered. “The hell you wanted from the kid?”  
“What?” Fyr stops the frantic tries of cleaning up his clothes. The realistic part of his brain knows it’s a lost cause. The panicky, guilty part of his brain insists if he tries hard enough, a miracle will happen.  
“The halfie?” Nil repeats, raising both eyebrows at Fyr. Even with no actual resemblance, Fyr is struck with how much like Gin he looks right now.   
“To talk? She looked scared. We could probably help.” Nil sighs in answer.  
“Any help we could offer would only make it worse. Especially coming from us.” Nil sighs again. “Come on, let’s go back home.”  
Fyr remembers the comments thrown by Leo’s little shop, and gnashes his teeth, trying to see maybe some trace of Wildie’s presence, but there was nothing. He could feel stares from all around, but saw no one.  
“Yeah, okay. Let’s go back.” With one last look they move up the city, the mud slowly dripping from their clothes.

Now, looking closer, he can see the exact moment when people’s demeanor changes - a large part of mud on Nil’s coas slips off and the family logo shows up from beneath. 

Suddenly there are smiles and hellos.

Nil catches his look, shrugs, and gives him a helpless smile.


End file.
